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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION HONORING THE CAREER AND

2     
SERVICE OF PASTOR FRANCE A. DAVIS

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2020 GENERAL SESSION

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STATE OF UTAH

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Chief Sponsor: Sandra Hollins

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Senate Sponsor: Jani Iwamoto

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8     LONG TITLE
9     General Description:
10          This concurrent resolution honors Pastor France A. Davis.
11     Highlighted Provisions:
12          This resolution:
13          ▸     recognizes the 46-year career of Pastor France A. Davis at Calvary Baptist Church;
14     and
15          ▸     honors Pastor Davis's work as a pastor, teacher, and activist.
16     Special Clauses:
17          None
18     

19     Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
20          WHEREAS, Pastor France A. Davis was born in 1946 in Georgia;
21          WHEREAS, Pastor Davis participated in the civil rights campaigns of Dr. Martin
22     Luther King Jr.;
23          WHEREAS, after participating in the March on Washington in 1963 and the
24     Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march in 1965, he decided to devote his life's work to
25     ministry;
26          WHEREAS, in 1966 Pastor Davis joined the Air Force as an aircraft mechanic where
27     he served, among other places, 18 months at Korat Air Force Base in Thailand, before

28     receiving an honorable discharge as a Staff Sergeant in 1970;
29          WHEREAS, in 1971, Pastor Davis became an ordained minister;
30          WHEREAS, in 1972, Pastor Davis arrived in Salt Lake City and became an instructor
31     in communications and ethnic studies at the University of Utah;
32          WHEREAS, Pastor Davis joined Calvary Baptist Church in 1972, became interim
33     Pastor in 1973, and was appointed as the full time Pastor in 1974;
34          WHEREAS, Pastor Davis has led his congregation to emphasize the importance of
35     education and supported education by granting thousands of dollars to local students for tuition
36     and necessities;
37          WHEREAS, four scholarships have been established in honor of Pastor Davis's
38     commitment to education;
39          WHEREAS, in 2007, Pastor Davis was appointed to the Salt Lake Community College
40     Board of Trustees;
41          WHEREAS, in 2008 he was appointed as the first African American member to the
42     Utah Board of Regents;
43          WHEREAS, in 2009-2014 he was appointed the fifth vice president of the National
44     Baptist Congress of Christian Education;
45          WHEREAS, Pastor Davis served on the Utah Board of Corrections, where he worked
46     to reduce racial profiling by the law enforcement agencies during his service of a decade;
47          WHEREAS, Pastor Davis has received numerous awards, including:
48               •     an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from the University of
49     Utah (1993);
50               •     the Westminster College "Distinguished Alumni Award" (1997);
51               •     the "Distinguished Teacher Award" from the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Beta
52     Epsilon Chapter (2011);
53               •     the Days of '47 "Pioneer of Progress Award" in Education, Health, and
54     Humanitarian Assistance (2011);
55               •     the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award (2013);
56               •     the Utah Valley University "Excellence in Ethics Award" (2014); and
57               •     the "Lifetime Achievement Heroes Recognition" from the American Red
58     Cross (2016);

59          WHEREAS, Pastor Davis retired from Calvary Baptist Church in 2019 after 46 years of
60     service; and
61          WHEREAS, Pastor Davis's lifelong commitment to ministry, ethics, education, and
62     civil rights activism merits recognition:
63          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
64     Governor concurring therein, honor the 46-year career and service of Pastor France A. Davis.
65          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature send a copy of this resolution to
66     Pastor France A. Davis.